Tyrannies have advanced, not in a sudden torrent of atrocity, but in gradual, measured steps of malevolence.

For seven years now, tyranny has steadily claimed this nation, robbing fundamental liberties and freedoms while the people are deep in induced stupor. Once acclaimed as one of the relative freer states, the “sick man of Asia” is not merely sick but enslaved and deprived. The pseudo president who now sits in power has gained notoriety for her insatiable rapacity whetted by fantasies of perpetual dominion. Save for Martial Law, no other rule has shown such utter disregard for the people’s civil liberties, or such obsession for the propulsion of one’s political dynasty.

For in tyrannies characterized by wanton greed, continued dominion necessitates the suppression of resistance.

Thus, the last four years may possibly be one of the most repressive – the spate of political killings has been complemented by the expeditious approval of legislation seeking the curtailment of democratic liberties. Thus, the phenomenon of state-sponsored terrorism, as instigated by the Calibrated Pre-emptive Response, Presidential Proclamation 1017, the Human Security Act, and the dogged compliance with the US’ War on Terror .

Seven years into the steady erosion of democratic space, this diminutive thief has committed colossal sins of commission and omission, that no rug can possibly conceal the enormity of her transgressions. Instead, bankrupt illusions of democracy were created albeit in a controlled arena.

Yet, while illusions are distortions of actuality, they are nonetheless influenced by objective reality.

The events last Thursday illustrate how the illusive shroud of stability was once again ruptured with one jolt from reality. The appearance and breaking testimony of Rodolfo ‘Jun’ Lozada Jr., former consultant of the shelved National Broadband Network project, is one such jolt. And just when the administration thought it has eluded public scrutiny, the anomalous contract is again in the headlines, arousing the national imagination from its stupor.

During the Senate hearing, Lozada narrates a story of breathtaking rapacity, prompting former Socioeconomic Secretary Romulo Neri’s much quoted instruction, “moderate their greed.” Lozada’s articulations, however, should come as no surprise. A perusal of this administration’s track record would reveal unprecedented levels of larceny and corruption: the $932 M South Rail project, the P728 M fertilizer scam, the P1.1 B Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard project, and the P1.3 billion automated vote-counting machines.

Where top leadership is morally bankrupt, so are its appendages.

Thus the avarice of former Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos, the spineless silence of Neri, and the blatant fabrications of the police. As the public interrogated each official, their cautious statements regarding the president and the first gentleman are symptomatic of the Malacañang’s orchestrations. In a press conference, PNP Chief Avelino Razon, hard pressed over the police’s suspicious silence on Lozada’s two-day disappearance, explained in an evasive tone “Sa trabaho namin, hindi puwede ang madaldal.”

As the public witnessed asinine attempts at cover-up, the administration unleashed a torrent of malevolence to contain the potential rupture. Close allies were laid at the sacrificial altar, the length of partnership subsumed beneath the enticements of power.

Tyrants, after all, know no other ally than power.

Months after Joey de Venecia disclosed the first gentleman’s alleged P70 M commission from the NBN deal, presidential sons Mikey and Iggy Arroyo moved to oust former House Speaker Jose de Venecia from position in a brutal wrestle for leadership. Notwithstanding a long history of alliance, the longest-serving speaker was easily disposed for a more politically expedient ally.

The slaughter takes on a more sinister form in clandestine operations. Concurrent with de Venecia’s fall, Lozada, key witness to the NBN deal, was forcibly taken by officials suspected to be from the military. Although Lozada tried to send text messages to his family, they were easily intercepted by the abductors. This type of wiretapping technology is available only to the AFP, rousing suspicions that the event was a Malacañang orchestration.

In light of the prevalence of extra-judicial killings, Lozada is fortunate to still be alive. It is clear from his testimony how potential public outrage dissuaded the abductors from pulling an enforced disappearance act.

From the convoluted amalgamation of cover-up, abduction, and corruption, rises the need for explanations.

In an attempt to explicate the seemingly institutionalized corruption, Lozada points that the country suffers from a “dysfunctional government procurement system,” where projects are driven neither by service nor need. To illustrate, government creates projects not to deliver necessary services but to employ suppliers, particularly those it has close ties with. Moreover, mechanisms for check-and-balance are nonexistent.

One manifestation of democracy is government transparency, in which projects warrant the people’s mandate. As recent events would show, however, government structures are neither transparent nor open to public scrutiny. If anything, the national conditions demonstrate the undercurrents of tyranny.

The first step to democracy, therefore, is to counter containment with engagement. And engage we must, if we are to excise the guilty culprits, chief of which is the president.# Philippine Collegian

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